Frenchy Post Game on Extra Base Hits, Murphy and Green

In his interview that aired on SNY post game, Jeff Francoeur made what I thought was a telling comment about how the night went in Philly.  Francoeur's comment was that at one point on the bench the team was joking around that they would fine the first guy to get a single, since everyone else was finding gaps, or the crowd.  

Also on the post game report, Daniel Murphy apparently played 5 innings today and seems to be working his way back to the team.  It would be great to have Murphy back on this team as a real left-handed threat off the bench.  It would be quite an upgrade over Frank Catalanotto and Gary Matthews.

Also, an update was given on Sean Green who seems to be in bad shape with a fracture in his rib.  I guess we won't be seeing him for some time.  I'm pretty sure I'm fine with that... 

Mets Cruise to Eighth Straight Behind Niese and Extra Base Hits

Tonight at Citizens Bank Park the Mets really took it to the Phillies defeating them 9-1 (box score).  The Mets extended their winning streak to eight straight with the total package tonight, pitching, defense and hitting and really dominated a very very good team tonight.  It was fun to watch as a Mets fan.

First at the plate, the big stories were Rod Barajas and the Mets ability to get extra base hits.  Rod Barajas, as mentioned several times during the telecast by Gary Cohen, kills the ball at Citizens Bank Park and tonight was no different.  Barajas went 3-4 with two homers, with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI, and all of his hits going for extra bases.  As much as I don't like Barajas' average being as low as it is, there is no denying his power at the plate, and it was on display tonight.  If Barajas continues to hit around .200 all season but drills the Phils the way he did tonight, I'll take it.  As far as extra base hits, 8 of the team's 10 hits went for extra bags...unreal.  Also, Francoeur and Wright both went deep for the Mets, and Wright is starting to heat up and it's nice to see.

On the hill, Niese was awesome.  He went 7 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits, while striking out seven and walking only one.  He had the Phillies off balance all night, especially Howard who looked bad at the plate outside of one line out to center that he made some nice contact on.  I would have to say I am now officially confident in Niese, he looked great.

Most importantly, tonight my man-crush on Francoeur went to astronomical heights.  He was awesome tonight.  Frenchy golfed a homer into the left field seats, and played fantastic defense while showing everyone how big his balls are.  Frenchy crashed into the wall in right while making a great play to rob Ibanez of a hit.  Later in the game he was plunked by Danys Baez, and not only did he stay in the game, but he immediately swiped a bag to really stick it to Baez.  But of all the things Frenchy did tonight, his turn and fire in the corner of a Werth hit to hold Jayson to a single was my favorite play of the game.  Frenchy cut a ball off heading to the corner and planted one foot and fired a rocket to the second base bag.  It was such a nice play, that Werth actually fell putting the breaks on when he decided to stay at first.  Jason Bay also made a pretty nice grab on a shot from Victorino.  Great stuff.  Frenchy, however, was taken out of the game eventually because of the beating he took tonight, and in the post game Jerry said he'd probably be out tomorrow, which I get.

What a great night for the Mets.  Tomorrow will be a tougher game, as Roy Halladay takes the mound for the Phillies while Pelfrey hits the bump for the Mets.  First pitch at 3:10 on Fox...

Tonight's Line Up

Mets vs. Phillies tonight at 7 from Philly...

Here's tonight's line-up courtesy of Metsblog:

Angel Pagan CF
Second Baseman 2B
Jose Reyes SS
Jason Bay LF
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Rod Barajas C
Jon Niese P


Get excited, it's a rivalry again...maybe...

Looking Forward to a Strong Weekend of Baseball

Tonight the Mets open a three game set against the Phillies in the "Illa-delph".  I'm not saying this is any sort of turning point for the season, because it's too early for that stuff, BUT winning this series would be a nice confidence boost for a team (and fan base) on the rise.

Mets fans didn't REALLY know what to expect this year because of the lack of impact free agent additions  this offseason, injuries from last season, and zero faith in the front office and manager.  However, this Mets team is showing some real signs of life and is starting to look a little bit like Omar knew what he was doing this offseason by laying off of a big first base signing (with Davis waiting in the wings), thinking that some of Pelfrey/Maine/ Perez could rebound, believing Niese was ready and that the bullpen could come together.  Although this team is far from great, they do look good, and most importantly are watchable.  This season has been exponentially more fun than last season, but it is only April 30th...

Regardless of the big picture stuff, tonight the Mets have an early season test against the Phillies.  The pitching match ups for the weekend series starts with Jon Niese taking the hill against Kyle Kendrick, to be followed tomorrow by Pelfrey/Halladay, and then another Sunday Night game with Johan Santana facing Jamie Moyer.

I'm not going to get too hung up on this because we know that Phillies line up can really hit...BUT...to me, it looks like the Mets have the advantage in two of the three pitching match ups, with the Halladay/Pelfrey game being the only advantage I see the Phillies having.  I'm just saying this looks promising for the Mets because a weekend series with your three best pitchers going against a top team in the league is not a bad position to be in.

Should be some good baseball, hopefully the weekend will end with the Mets taking the series, gaining some more credibility and, most importantly, putting some life back into the Mets/Phillies rivalry...

Mets Sweep Dodgers, Win Seventh Straight

Well, either this team is really hot right now, or the Dodgers are really not.  Today at CitiField the Mets took care of the Dodgers 7-3 to sweep the series and win their seventh straight game (box score).

John Maine had his best outing of the year going 6 innings giving up 2 earned runs on 4 hits, while striking out 9 to increase his record to 1-1 on the season.  Meanwhile, at the plate Francoeur and Pagan drove in two runs each, while Cora, Bay and Davis all drove in a run of their own.  Also, Wright went 2-4, as the team continues to play good ball...

Ike keeps hitting...Bay's turning it around...Wright's heating up...And it's all good right now in the Citi.

I just hope it can carry over into Philly.  Where Jon Niese will be starting on Friday against a still-to-be-determined pitcher.

This weekend will be a nice test for the Mets to show that they're playing better and not just taking advantage of some struggling opponents.

Mets Try For Seven in a Row: Here's the Line-Up

Maine is on the hill today against John Ely, as the Mets go for 7 in a row before a day off and a date with the Phillies.

Here's today's line up courtesy of TheRopolitans.com:

Angel Pagan CF
Alex Cora 2B
Jose Reyes SS
Jason Bay LF
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Rod Barajas C
John Maine RHP


Nice to see the second baseman getting the day off.  He keeps playing well enough and the Mets keep winning, I may start using his name again. 


In the meantime...Let's Go Mets.

Mets Sweep Double Dip: Take 6 in a Row, First Place

What a difference a week makes...

A week ago the Mets were 6-9 and didn't look good getting there. But after last night's sweep of the double header from the Dodgers the Mets have pushed their winning streak to 6 games, thus saving Jerry's job for the foreseeable future.  Oh, by the way, this streak has also landed the Mets in first place, a half-game in front of the Phillies.  Pretty fun stuff.  Also not that I the Mets are now 3-0 in games I have attended.  I'm not saying there should be a "send me to the game fund" just yet, but a couple more wins and we may be on to something here...

Anyway, I don't want to rain on the parade here, but, I'm not ready to get too high just yet with this club.  I'm expressing cautious optimism.  Although this week has been great, it's still early, and the Mets did beat up on three teams who were not playing great ball at the time they faced them.

Prior to facing the Mets, the Braves had lost 2 of 3 to the Phillies and had only scored 7 runs in the prior 4 games before coming into the "Citi" and only scoring 3 runs in 3 games.  Prior to losing 3 of 4 to the Mets, the Cubs had lost 3 of their previous 5 games.  And before yesterday's sweep at the hands of the Mets, the Dodgers had been scuffling too, losing consecutive series to the Nationals and the Reds.

Now, I'm not saying this winning streak should be devalued at all, but what I am saying is I'll be more excited should the Mets win today and take the weekend series from the Phils, obviously.  So while I'm happy the Mets are showing life and looking good, I want to see more...

Also, I want to point out how much better Jerry has been managing the team.  Yes, this Reyes hitting third thing has turned out to be a good idea.  I thought it was a bad idea, but I guess I was wrong.  The line-up switch seems to have awakened both Jose and Jason Bay, who finally hit his first Mets homer.  Even David Wright seems to be turning it around, as, last night as Wright went 3-3 with 4 RBI in the nightcap.  Oh, and this kid Ike Davis, can really hit.

Also, last night Jerry made the best move he's made as the manager of the Mets last night when he decided to pull Perez in the fourth.  Perez clearly was having issues holding the ball and threw multiple bad pitches that sailed over batters heads and bounced in front of the plate.  Being at the game last night, experiencing the conditions (cold and windy) and having pitched in those conditions myself, I think Perez should be given a pass on last night.  I know how hard it is to be an effective pitcher in that type of weather.  On the whole, I think credit should be given to Jerry for making the switch right away and not letting the Dodgers capitalize on Perez' inability to throw strikes.  Also, give credit to Takahashi, who after walking in the tying run, settled down and turned in a stellar performance.

Either way, I'm excited for today.  A sweep would be great...

Quick Pitchin': Double Dip, Line-Up and New RTU

Due to a lack of free time in the work space my day blogging has been much more sparse recently, and for that I'm sorry.  And, unfortunately today is no different so...

Here's some quick pitchin' for the day.  It's all the time I can spare today, especially since I'm heading into the "Citi" at 5:30 to catch the remainder of the double dip.

Thanks to the weather I got rained out of my second Mets game of the year.  In response, I woke up early this morning hit up the "Citi" and exchanged my tickets for last night and got back tickets in the same row for today's double-dip (ticket office was very helpful), which unfortunately due to work, I won't be able to get to until about 6:15.  BUT, I won't miss a pitch until I leave the office.  Thus, I'm putting my 1.000 winning percentage on the line tonight, and I will count both games as attendance assuming I see at least one inning in game one.  So, let's go Mets...

Speaking of tonight's double dip, which starts at 4:10.  Game 1 will feature Santana vs. Kuroda, and Game 2 will see Oliver Perez against Charlie Haeger (mets.com).  Here's the line up for game 1 according to Metsblog, "The Mets have said Angel Pagan will play center field and hit leadoff today in Game 1, followed in order by Luis Castillo, Jose Reyes, Jason Bay, David Wright, Ike Davis, Gary Matthews Jr. in right field, Rod Barajas behind the plate, and Johan Santana on the mound."  Should be fun.  Although, I must admit, I'm pretty happy that I'll end up seeing my man crush play a whole game, as I'm assuming Francoeur will be in the line-up in game 2...

Also, there will be another new episode of Ready to Unload with Cal and Sanpete tonight, so if you haven't given them a listen it's worth it.  I won't be able to listen because I will be in the "Citi", but as always I will try my best to call in.  Maybe drop a little Sweeny Murti on those guys, just without the credentials...

Anyway, this is an exciting day, and I'm looking forward to seeing some bonus baseball today...

I Lost This Weekend, Good Thing the Mets Didn't: Tonight's Line-Up

This weekend Mets fans were treated to a nice weekend of baseball as the team swept the Braves and looked pretty decent doing so (or the Braves looked horrible-probably a combo).  I enjoyed watching the games, as much as I could, while not being able to blog.  Anyway while the team was winning, I was down in AC losing. 

So, in order to keep that streak alive, I'll be going to the game tonight, in an effort to lose more money (beers, dogs, etc.), which will hopefully translate into a fifth consecutive Mets victory.  On a personal note, I'd be willing to keep this money losing susperstition going if this would guarantee a winning season (playoffs? - Where's Jim Mora when you need him?).  Anyway, the Mets are 1-0 when I'm in the "Citi" this season and looking to stay on the winning side of things.

Here's the Mets line-up tonight, as forwarded from Metsblog, and originally tweeted by the Mets themselves:

Pagan-CF
No Day off for this 2B
Reyes-SS
Bay-LF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Matthews-RF
Barajas-C
Perez-P

I haven't had a chance to comment again on Reyes hitting third, which I'm still not wild about, but I guess if they're winning they could hit the second baseman second and I wouldn't care.  And one more thing, I'd like to express my dissappointment in not being able to see my man-crush Francoeur tonight.

A little part of me died...

Wild Game Last Night, Mets Win 5-2

The Mets won a wild one last night against the Braves 5-2 (box score/wrap), in a game that included Maine getting injured, a re-shuffled line-up, Ike Davis' first major league homer, back-to-back triples from Reyes and Bay and one of the wildest infield fly plays I've ever seen.

Last night in the fourt inning John Maine left the game with what was called spasms.  I don't know why but I'm not all that concerned.  Probably because it could give someone else a chance to steal his rotation spot.  Speaking of which, Takahashi was excellent in relief.  Just Sayin'...

Ike Davis hit his first major league homer, and it was a bomb.  Also who has Ike Davis hitting his first Met homer before Jason Bay? Not me.  But...

Bay did have a nice triple last night, immediately following one from Reyes, which was nice to see.  Looks like people might be starting to come around and this team may be ready to win a few more games.

As for the crazy infield fly play, let's give credit to Angel Pagan for the hustle...BUT...I think more credit goes to Chip Hale who saw the play open up and was basically screaming at Pagan to run.  I don't know why I was so surprised last night when I saw the replay that it seemed to be Hale's doing not Pagan's.  At least Pagan was able to take advantage of the opportunity.

Interesting night.  Should be a fun weekend against the Braves...

Mets Take 3 of 4 From Cubs

Well the Mets have finally won their first series of the year by holding onto a late lead and defeating the Cubs 5-2 on Thursday night (box score).  Santana had a good outting allowing only one run while scattering 8 hits in 6 and 1/3.  In the eighth inning Feliciano and Mejia let the game get a little interesting but then K-Rod got the last 5 outs to shut the door and earn his first save of the season.

On the offensive side, Ike Davis had three hits and scored twice.  Wright and Francoeur both had big RBI hits to get the Mets out in front.  Rod Barajas got into the action late in the game by driving in an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with a single to right field, and then was thrown out taking too aggressive of a turn around first. 

Nice win for the team tonight after Gorzelanny seemed to have their number all night long.  Especially getting run support, and not "wasting" a start from Johan Santana, allowing him to go 2-1 on the season.

Tomorrow night the Mets start a weekend series with the Braves at 7 pm, when John Main takes the hill against Kawakami for the Braves.

Mets Line-Up for Tonight Against the Cubs

Here's the line-up as simultaneously tweeted by Brian Costa and Adam Rubin:

Reyes SS
Everyday 2B
Wright 3B
Bay LF
Francoeur RF
Davis 1B
Barajas C
Pagan CF
Santana P

It's the normal, everyday, line-up that we've gotten used to seeing since Ike came up.  I like the consistency. 

It seems like every game Santana pitches is important because of the way the rotation, outside of Johan, Pelfrey and Niese, has pitched so far.  But tonight seems more important because the Mets have a chance to win their first series of the year, which would be a nice building block. 

Tonight, I'll be watching this, the NFL draft and Devils/Flyers game 5.  Exciting night of sports...

Lay Off Wright and Bay, NO ONE IS HITTING

It's early in the season, and things aren't exactly sunny at Citi.  The reasons for this is pretty identifiable.  For one, Jerry Manuel stinks, and  that's all I'm saying on that, because it's not worth expanding on today.  Number two is that only 3/5 of the rotation is putting up decent starts on a consistent basis (Santana, Pelfrey, Niese), Maine's been awful and Perez has been inconsistent.  The final problem, is the offense...

Metsblog did an article about how Bay and Wright are struggling from the plate, which you can read here.  But that's not completely fair as it puts too much focus on their struggles, when there is plenty of other struggles in the line-up.  Because the biggest reason the Mets aren't winning games is because EVERYONE on the team is hitting like crap right now...EVERYONE.

Let's take a look at last night's line-up, which most fans would agree is probably their best option, and see how they've produced so far this year.

Reyes SS - Currently hitting .220, with a .273 OBP, and only 3 extra base hits out of 11 total hits on the season.  Oh yeah, and he's stolen two bases out of three attempts, but one wasn't contested at all.

That Guy 2B - He's been hotter as of late, with an 8 game hitting streak, and is now up to .275, with a .345 OBP.  As much as I hate the guy, those numbers and pretty acceptable.  BUT, his 2 extra base hits out of 13 total hits is not doing much for me.  And he's only one for two stealing bases.

-With the first two guys getting on a combined .309, granted Reyes is bringing it down, and neither are really running (hard to run when you're not on base).  I think some of what's happening with Wright and Bay can be explained by a lack of runners on and the way that's affecting the way pitchers are approaching facing them.  That being said...

Wright 3B - Hitting .240, with an unreal .457 OBP.  But Wright has about half of his hits being extra base hits.  Yes, he's striking out a ton, again...18 in 50 at bats, a 36% clip.  But he's also walking a ton with 19 BB so far.  Regardless the average and strikeouts are troublesome, but Wright is bringing more to this line-up than Reyes and the second baseman are currently, even with his terrible average...

Bay LF - Hitting .241, with a .369 OBP.  Bay is striking out more than Wright, 22 times in 54 at bats.  And has only 3 of his 13 hits going for extra bases, and no homers.  Clearly "scuffling", no debate there...

Francoeur RF - Here's the best hitter so far this season for the team.  Although his average has dipped to .281 after a splintering start, his OBP is .358, is stellar for him.  And Francoeur's only struck out 6 times this season.  In fact, he has more walks (8) than strikeouts.  He's been the best player on the team at the plate and has about half of his hits going from extra bases.  He's clearly the least of the team's issues at the plate, BUT he hasn't gotten a hit in the last 5 games...

Davis 1B - It's not worth talking numbers with Ike yet because his sample size is so miniscule right now.  But from what I've seen he doesn't look comfortable against lefties, and has been taking some pretty ugly hacks agains them.  The Mets face another lefty tonight in Tom Gorzelanny.  Should be interesting...

Barajas C - He's been flat out terrible at the plate. I don't care how many homers this guy is capable of hitting, it seems like those are the only hits he gets.  And somehow because people expect less of him he gets a pass.  He's hitting .204 with a .196 OBP, and hasn't walked yet this season while striking out 7 times.  Where are all those people now who were killing Frenchy for not walking?  Why isn't Barajas getting crapped on here?  Just because the guy can go deep doesn't redeem him for those awful numbers.  I don't know the last time I've seen someone have a lower OBP than average...Unreal.

Pagan CF - Pagan's been OK.  I don't when we get a little overhyped about this guy as fans.  He's fine.  He's hitting .279, with a .354 OBP....however...he only has one extra base hit on the season, and it was the homer the other night.

The point of this exercise was to show that the team as a whole isn't hitting and maybe we should be less worried about Wright and Bay speficially, and more concerned about the team as a whole not hitting well.  Or at the least, Manuel should be finding a way to have more than 2 guys get hits in one game. 

Also, can someone beside me please get annoyed at Barajas.  I'm tired about reading about how he's getting unlucky.  He's been "unlucky" then his entire career.  The guy is a pop up waiting to happen.  And, he's been hitting like this his entire career, reaching his summit at .256 in TEXAS.  Come on...

So, give Bay and Wright a bit of a break here, they'll come around.  Besides we need to spread the offensive blame around, because there is plenty for everyone to have...

Perez Not Great, Bullpen Worse in Mets 9-3 Loss to Cubs

Tonight the Mets fell to the Cubbies 9-3, on what was a terrible night for the Mets bullpen (box score).  Perez wasn't overly effective, but this loss really falls on the bullpen who let this game get out of hand.  Specifically Acosta and Takahashi really let the Cubs put some space between themselves and the Mets.  Perez went 5 innings giving up 8 hits and 3 runs, 2 of which were earned.  Acosta, who I no longer want to see more of, went 1 and 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs, and Takahashi went 2 innings giving up 3 runs of his own.  Not exactly the best outting from the Mets bullpen.

Interesting to note that Carlos Silva had a nice outing tonight, and has had a pretty good season so far.  That's interesting because it was speculated at one point in the offseason that Silva was probably the only guy the Mets could have dealt their current starting second baseman for.  I'm just sayin'...

Also, I'm getting really tired of watching Rod Barajas pop out and strike out.  I realized he hit a homer today, but seriously, he's hitting .200 with a .191 OBP, I don't think I've ever seen that before.  Having a lower OBP than batting average takes serious skills.  Can I now say that although I liked Barajas over Santos, Molina would have been better? 

Oh, fire Jerry Manuel...

Meanwhile in a not so angry place, the Mets go for their first series win of the season when Johan Santana takes the hill tomorrow night at 7 against Tom Gorzelanny.

Mets Go for Three in A Row Tonight, Weather Permitting

The weather is looking pretty ominous in NYC right now, BUT, if the Mets and Cubs do play tonight, you'll get a treat, Oliver Perez against Carlos Silva (that was sarcastic).  Here's the Mets line-up as tweeted by Brian Costa of the Newark Star-Ledger:

Reyes SS
That Guy 2B
Wright 3B
Bay LF
Francoeur RF
Davis 1B
Barajas C
Pagan CF
Perez P


This is looking pretty standard over the past few nights, and I like the consistency.  Consistency in the line-up usually equals consistency in results (although that doesn't necessarily mean consistently good).  


The Mets look for their first winning streak of the season.  Let's go Mets.

Igarashi to the DL, Acosta to CitiField

According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, the Mets were forced to make a roster move today in case Ryota Igarashi had to be put on the DL with a hamstring issue.  Metsblog is saying Igarashi has in fact been placed on the DL.

In response the Mets brought up former Braves reliever Manny Acosta who has a 2.16 ERA in triple-A since the Mets picked him up after he was designated for assigment by the Atlanta Braves.

I'm sorry to see Igarashi hurt, especially considering how good the Mets 'pen has been so far this year.  HOWEVER, I was one of the people who liked this Acosta signing and I am very excited to what this guy is all about after hearing about how good he was going to be with the Braves.

I Hate the Braves, But...

This may be the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

After Nate McLouth hit the game winning homer against the Phillies, not only did no one meet him at home plate...BUT...the entire Braves bench (including Bobby Cox) ran into the clubhouse and left McLouth to celebrate on his own.  Absolutely hilarious.

I still hate the Braves, but who ever came up with that idea deserves a ton of credit.  That was damn funny.

Mets Take Second Straight From Cubs Behind Great Game From Pelfrey

Tonight, the Mets took another step towards becoming a decent team with another quality start from Pelfrey, four hits from Reyes and a 4-0 win over the Cubs tonight at CitiField (box score).  Pelfrey went 7 strong striking out 6, and giving up only 3 hits.  Pelfrey is off to a 3-0 start, and is on pace for a fantastic year.

Reyes had the big hit was a two-run triple, and that was all the Mets would need to support Pelfrey's fantastic outting.  The other Mets runs were added in the eighth with a two-run pinch-hit homer off of Fernando Tatis' bat, which is the only way I like seeing Tatis in the game.

As much as I don't want Jerry managing this team, it's hard to deny the team has looked better over the past two games, and it's probably saved his job for a bit.

As the great Lou Brown said, "We've won two games in a row.  If we win tonight, it's called a winning steak.  It had happened before."  The Mets go for their first winning streak of the season tomorrow at 7, when Oliver Perez faces Carlos Silva, in the battle of big contracts with less results...

Line-Up For Mets against the Cubs Tonight

The Ike Era continues tonight when the Mets, and Mike Pelfrey, face off against the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano.  Here's your Mets starting line-up, according to a tweet from SNY's Kevin Burkhardt:

Reyes ss
Regular 2b
Wright 3b
Bay lf
Francoeur rf
Davis 1b
Pagan cf
Blanco c
Pelfrey p

I like the way this line-up looks, especially since I spent a large majority of last night watching Rod Barajas stink up the joint at the plate.

Let's see is Pelf can keep it going...  

Suspended Player is Edinson Volquez

Damn it.  I forgot to guess guys on the DL.  Weak on my part.  I apologize to any other suspects I guessed, and were wrong about.  Although I think those guys really deserve apologies from McGwire and Bonds for making everyone guilty until proven innocent...

Anyway according to SI.com's Jon Heyman on twitter, the recipient of the much anticipated PED suspension is Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez.  No debate here on the "semi-big" name.  It's a 50 gamer for Volquez, and I'm assuming it was an injury/recovery situation.  Apparently there is an article soon to come on SI.com.

I'll update with the link when it's up...

UPDATE: According to Jerry Crasnick on twitter, this suspension for Volquez starts immediately.  This is terrible, the guy is on the DL, what's the point of suspending a guy who can't play, seriously...All this does is make MLB look stupid.  Way to go Bud.

APOLOGY

Hello,

The other day, prior to the Edinson Volquez news, I wrote a post making guesses on who I thought could be the suspended player.  That was wrong.  I want to apologize to anyone who potentially read that post and was offended by it. 

As the number of people reading this blog grows (slowly), it becomes the responsibility of the author to make sure that certain types of things are avoided.  This is one such instance.  I should not have guessed potential players, and I whole-heartedly apologize, and take any and all criticism for doing something like that.  I think there were a few comments including the word "retard" and they are all valid.  However, the bigger issue here was my willingness to guess, because even if I got this right.  It wasn't worth it.

I'm sorry...

Sincerely,

Caught Lookin'

Pagan Goes Deep and Ike Has Two Hits, As Mets Top Cubs 6-1

On a chilly night at CitiField the Mets bats took a while, but warmed up just in time to give the Mets a 6-1 win over the Cubs tonight (box score).

The stars of tonight were Angel Pagan, Jon Niese and Ike Davis.

Pagan hit a huge two-run homer in the seventh to start what became a 5 run inning for the Mets.  Bay had two hits on the night, including an RBI double in the seventh.  Bay was then driven in by Ike Davis' second hit of the evening and his first major league RBI.  Davis' second hit was off a lefty, which was nice to see...HOWEVER...earlier in the same at bat he bailed pretty severely on two nasty curveballs from Sean Marshall before flicking one up the middle to drive in bay.  So although it's good to see Davis get a hit against a lefty, he did NOT look great doing it.  But, Davis had a nice hit earlier in the game, fighting off a tough two-strike pitch, and really stroked one into the gap that was caught pretty easily by Xavier Nady.

It's easy to forget what Jon Niese did tonight because of the excitement around Davis' debut and Bay and Pagan hitting, but you shouldn't because Niese pitched well tonight.  Outside of the high pitch count (113 through 5 and 1/3 innings), Niese was able to strike out 7 hitters while giving up 8 hits.  Manuel then pulled Niese in favored of Nieve who immediately gave up a run on a tough comebacker.  Niese had a good night, but was overshadowed by Ike...

It was a good night at CitiField, hopefully the Mets can build on it tomorrow night when the Mets send Mike Pelfrey to the hill to face Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs...

 

Tonight's Line-Up...

Here's tonight's line-up as posted via-photo on Metsblog:

Pagan CF
Second Baseman 2B
Wright 3B
Bay LF
Francoeur RF
Davis 1B
Barajas C
Cora SS
Niese P

Reyes gets a night off, which may help him clear his head.  He seems almost depressed lately, and I don't think I could ever remember him not smiling on the field.  Either way, that's not the big story because Ike is up, and in the line-up.

In another post on Metsblog, Omar is quoted as saying that Davis will not be part of a platoon.  This is great news because it limits the amount of Tatis we will see, and will also give the kid a real opportunity to play.  That is probably the best idea Omar has ever had...

Ike To Be In Line-Up Tonight...

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, via twitter, "Ike Davis' plane due in around 3:30-ish and he will be in #Mets lineup tonight." 

I'm excited to see Ike in action, and how the crowd will react to him tonight.  I'm betting he'll get a pretty enormous ovation.

Think this timing has anything to do with back-to-back nights on ESPN? 

Should be a fun day at the park. 

See you all there.

Alright Ike's Coming, So Let's Be Real...

According to Matt Cerrone of Metsblog, which relayed the info from SNY's Brad Cuomo account on twitter, Ike Davis will be called up today.

It has been brought to my attention that I have been accused of "wavering" on my stance with the Ike call-up situation, but please allow me to clarify... 

I wanted (still want) to see Chris Carter get a chance before Ike, because in my opinion, Ike could probably use some more seasoning before bringing him up to the bigs and Carter deserves a shot.  Also, I am slightly concerned about what the Mets will do when Daniel Murphy is ready to return from the DL.  If the Mets are bringing up Ike as a stopgap until Murphy is healthy, then this move is flat-out moronic.  However, if they're willing to commit to Ike, unless he struggles big time, then I'm fine with it.

To me, giving Carter a chance would have made the most sense because of the flexibility, until Murphy could return, and how if Carter were to perform well it would afford the team the option to keep both Carter and Murphy, especially considering Carter's ability to play other positions along with first base.  Couple those arguments with the fact that this kid has almost never been given a shot to succeed, there's no doubt in my mind that Carter would be hungry and would perform well.

Since that isn't the case and Ike is on his way up...I'm on board with this too.  Mainly because I think Ike is the team's best option at first base, given the realities of the situation (with Carter etc.).

So...

Mets fans here we go.  This move should be the start of something.  It should be the beginning of the organizations realization that maybe, just maybe, it's time for a youth movement.  This applies to both players and management.  Let Ike play, bring up Carter too, maybe F-Mart, Gee and Tejada at some point.  The team's future should be given a shot.  They can't be much worse than the team that's been out there for the first two weeks...

And while we're at it, lose Jerry and Omar.  Hand over jobs to Backman and Ricco.  Change the direction of the team and organization and bring HOPE to the fans.  Trying to float with this team that is clearly not as talented as other teams in the NL is a recipe for breeding more contempt within an already agitated fan base.

Ike will hold fans off for a bit.  But it's not enough.  I think Evan Roberts summed it up best, as Cerrone quotes him on Metsblog, "Mets fans would rather lose with Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez, than lose with Fernando Tatis, Luis Castillo and Gary Matthews Jr." (Note the only reason I used the second baseman's name was for the quotes sake)  Also, my feeling is the first three Roberts mentioned are actually better than the second three.  So why not do it?

My one request is that fans temper expectations.  Ike Davis will eventually be good, it just may not happen right away.  Regardless it'll be exciting tonight should he crack the line-up, and I think it'll be fun at CitiField.  Man am I happy I have tickets...

Some Things Are Too Good To Ignore: Chan Ho Park Has Diarrhea

In probably one of the more hilarious interviews I have ever seen, Chan Ho Park, here, admits to not feeling well and having diarrhea, not once, not twice, but at least three times.  I got the link from BronxBaseballDaily.com.

My favorite thing is that Chan Ho Park doesn't get why people are laughing at him.

I've always wanted to legitimately tag the words Chan Ho Park and diarrhea in the same post and have it mean something.  This may be the happiest day of my life.

There is only one word for this...PRICELESS.

ALERT:  I am a moron, and while in a rush to get to a work meeting was misspelling the crap out of diarrhea.  My deepest apologies.

Mets Go 2-4 on Road Trip, But Won One in St. Louis (Omar Loves It)

Tonight the Mets fell to the Cardinals 5-3 (box score) on two big homers by Ludwick and Colby Rasmus.  John Maine was acceptable tonight, which is a glowing endorsement compared to what he had done in his earlier outtings this season.

The only real positive at the plate was Angel Pagan who drove in the only two earned runs off of Wainwright tonight, who after a rough third inning looked unhittable.

Honestly, there is nothing else to say, EXCEPT, that tomorrow it looks like we'll finally be seeing some Ike.

Overall though, this team is struggling, and the only hope is that more change is on the way and that it'll happen early enough to give them a real chance to compete this season...

Please, fire Jerry and Omar and give this team and this season, a chance.  A team cannot win in spite of their manager, so it's about time to give the team a chance.

It's Time For Ike, For Real

Alright, it's time.  According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, here, the Mets are promoting Ike Davis.  Guess, I picked a good game to head out to CitiField for the first time this year.

In the article Rubin says, "Mets officials have resolved to promote heralded prospect Ike Davis to Citi Field this week, team sources told ESPNNewYork.com."

Ok, so I guess Carter gets bypassed again.  Sorry Chris.  One day Carter will get a shot and he will mash, the problem is when will he get that shot.  I would have liked to see Carter get a shot, but I think the team would have to believe that Ike is better overall.  So, I can't really complain...

In fact, I like Ike being promoted because, in my mind, he's a better option at 1B than anything else the Mets have at this point.  It's nice to see the team making a move here, but I think there needs to be a commitment to Davis now.  I don't want to see Ike struggle and then get sent down when Murphy returns.  To me, this move should be permanent and Davis should be given every opportunity to learn up at the major league level.  This needs to be a youth movement, not an appeasement move...

Tomorrow will be fun.  I hope Ike gets the start...

Prime Time Game, Prime Time Line...Ehhhrrr...Nevermind

Here's the Mets line-up for the game currently underway against the Cardinals on ESPN, courtesy of Metsblog:

Reyes SS
Cora 2B -----NICE!
Wright 3B
CATALANOTTO 1B ----Really, Jerry?
Francoeur RF
Matthews Jr. CF
Barajas C
Pagan LF
Maine P

Ok, I get that they played 20 innings last night, but let's be reasonable here Catalanotto should never be hitting clean up.  This isn't Toronto in 2002.  And I get the righty/lefty situation, but this is ridiculous.  Sure, give him the start, because can't be worse than Tatis and Jacobs, but don't hit the guy clean up.

And no Bay?  He's the only guy who went 0-7 yesterday who isn't in the line up (Reyes and Francoeur are in).  If I were Bay, after yesterday I'd be dying to get up there.  And now that I have to wait another day, I would be jumping out of my shoes next time I'm at the plate. All Jerry is doing here is guaranteeing he presses tomorrow.  Way to go Jerry.  You're the worst...

So far the game is going better than planned, mostly thanks to an awful error from Wainwright.  No complaints here...

Wild One: Mets Meet Omar's Wish of Winning One In St. Louis, It Just Took 20 Innings To Do It

It what was probably one of the more ridiculous, and eventually messy, games I've ever seen/followed the Mets FINALLY defeated the Cardinals tonight 2-1 in 20 innings (boxscore/wrap).

In a game that took almost 7 hours, two sac-flys and 9 pitchers for the Mets, the Mets got a much needed victory in St. Louis.  That's one against the Cardinals, so hitting Omar's goal was important to achieve.  Consider that mission accomplished.

Honestly, there isn't much to say about this game, but, WOW.  No runs were scored until the 19th inning, when the Mets took a one run lead on Francoeur's sac-fly.  K-Rod then immediately blew the lead in the bottom of the 19th when Yadier Molina drove in Albert Pujols with two outs to tie it up.  Almost immediately after that Joe Mather (yes, the back-up outfielder) gave up a sacrifice fly to Jose Reyes which eventually won it for the Mets.

This game got nutty.  Kyle Lohse was playing left field for the Cardinals, Felipe Lopez threw an inning and Joe Mather pitched two innings himself.  Meanwhile it took the Mets 12 innings to get more than one hit, Mike Pelfrey got the save, and Francoeur, Reyes and Bay all went 0-7 on the day. 

I know this was a nice win for the Mets, as a loss tonight MIGHT have actually sent some fans off a bridge, but it wasn't pretty.  And I hate to be a debbie downer on this one, BUT this was pretty poor timing with the 'pen being depleted before a game in which John Maine will start...ugh...

And I think it's also worth it to point out that Ubaldo Jimenez threw a no-no against the Braves tonight.  What a wild day in the MLB.

Tomorrow night the Mets and Cardinals are back at it at 8, on ESPN.  It'll be interesting to see if the Mets can surpass the lofty goal, set by their GM, of one win in St. Louis.  We'll find out tomorrow....

Ollie Throws a Gem, Manuel Loses It for Mets

Last night the Mets fell to the Cardinals 4-3 in St. Louis (box score/wrap) on the strength of a Felipe Lopez grand slam off of Raul Valdes in the 7th inning.  I blame this loss on Jerry Manuel...

Why is this Jerry's fault?  Simple.  When you're trying to win a game and you're in jam situations you use your best pitchers.  Now I understand that Lopez is a better left-handed hitter than righty, and I get that...BUT...why would you use your third best lefty reliever to pitch to him in a jam like that?  Raul Valdes, my third favorite Valdes behind Ismael and Juan, should not have been the option to face Lopes with both Feliciano and Takahashi still available.  At the end of a game the best a manager can say is that he made decisions to put his team in the best position to win.  Although Valdes has been good so far, Takahashi or Feliciano would have been better options.  I can't see Jerry lasting through the weekend.  But on the bright side...


Oliver Perez threw a gem for the Mets going 6 and 1/3, giving up only 4 hits, 1 run (runner he left on base that 'pen allowed to score), walked 3 and struck out 4 on the night.  Perez looked great, especially his slider, which when it's on makes a huge difference in his ability to control a game.  Outside of David Freese (3 hits) and Felipe Lopez (2 hits, grand slam), the Mets held most of the Cardinal line up in check, allowing only one other hit to Yadier Molina.

The Mets had a tough night at the plate, which was expected considering Chris Carpenter started the game on the hill for St. Louis.  Carpenter allowed one run in 7 innings of work, while striking out 10.  And the Mets showed some fight in the 8th and 9th after the grand slam by Lopez, which was nice to see, but just wasn't enough.

The Mets seek redemption, and the stated goal of "one win in St. Louis" (moron), today at

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING! FIRE MINAYA AND JERRY, NOW!

"St. Louis is always tough. If we can win two out of three, that will be outstanding. If we win one, I'll take it."  That's straight from the mouth of Omar Minaya.  I'm suprised he could get all those words out while cramming his foot in there at the same time.  But as we've learned throughout his tenure, he's multi-talented...

This quote was taken from an SI.com story, written by Jon Heyman, here.

It's one thing to give a good team (Cardinals) credit, it's another to call your own team second-rate and deciding that not getting swept is an accomplishment.  THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

I've had enough of Jerry and Omar, clean house, and end this crap already.  I don't want this team run by people who don't even believe in them.  No wonder people say they have no passion, their bosses think they suck.

SERIOUSLY THIS IS UNREAL.

Two words: Immediate termination. 

Francoeur Speaks Up Against Reyes Hitting Third: Just Another Reason To Buy a Frenchy Jersey

In case I needed more justification for my man-crush on Jeff Francoeur to continue, Jeff provided me one.  Brian Costa of the Neward Star-Ledger, here, wrote an article base around some comments Francoeur had made regarding moving Reyes out of the lead-off spot.

Francoeur is quoted as saying, "I don’t want to see that...Not at all. He’s the most dynamic leadoff hitter in the game, and I want to see him there. Who knows what we’ll do? But I’m just saying, he’s never been really a run producer. He’s been more of a guy to score 150 runs. I want everybody to get hot and keep him right where he’s at."

Francoeur takes it a step further later in the article when he's quoted as saying, "Jose Reyes has always hit leadoff to me for a reason. He’s the best. He gets on base, steals, makes things happen."

I get what Manuel is trying to do here, compensate for a line-up that isn't hitting by moving one of his better hitters further down into the line-up.  However, I don't think that will do what Jerry wants it to do.  I think Jeff Francoeur said it best, although he wasn't challenging enough when he said it, other people need to hit.  This team will not win with only one guy hitting and two starters going well.  It's just not going to happen.

The bottom line here is that the team isn't playing well, and is poorly managed.  You want a change, I'll tell you where to start...

Pelf Comes Up Big For Mets and Saves Team From Sweep

Pelfrey was fantastic today for the Mets, who managed to avoid getting swept in Colorado today by defeating the Rockies 5-0 (box score). 

Pelfrey looked great today going 7 innings giving up only 5 hits, no runs and struck out 6.  Feliciano and K-Rod finished the game and without giving up another hit, and both looked good doing so.  This is the stuff that gives me hope.  Pelfrey was great today all-around, including at the plate where he had an RBI single to go along with his great day on the hill.

Other Mets who had a good game included: Reyes, Francoeur and the second baseman with two hits each.  Overall it was a nice game for the Mets who really needed this win badly. 

Even though the Mets won today, Can I still say I want Manuel fired?  Because I do...

The Mets and Oliver Perez now head to St. Louis tomorrow night to open a very tough series against the Cardinals and Chris Carpenter...yikes...

Mets vs. Rockies Underway in Denver...

It's Jackie Robinson Day around the league so the are trying to honor his memory with a win.  Unfortunately for the team, so are the Rockies.  The Mets will also try to avoid the sweep and maintain their .333 winning percentage...

Here is the line-up courtesy of Metsblog:

Jose Reyes SS
That GuyAt 2B
David Wright 3B
Jason Bay LF
Jeff Francoeur RF
Fernando Tatis 1B
Henry Blanco C
Angel Pagan CF
Mike Pelfrey P

Let's see if Pelfrey can provide another strong start...

Barajas gets the day game after a night game off, giving Blanco the start.  Tatis is starting because of a lefty on the hill for the Rockies, and that guy is still starting at second for the Mets...

According to Cohen, Jerry Fought For Jenrry

During the game last night Gary Cohen mentioned that the word was that Jerry Manuel is the reason Jenrry is currently up with the team. No kidding.

This is what is wrong with this organization.  The manager who's job is on the line is the guy making decisions which can ruin the future of a player in the organization.

That is stupid...

That's all I'm saying on that subject.

Mets Lose 6-5 in the 10th Inning, Jerry's Blunder

Last night the Mets lost a hear-breaker to the Rockies 6-5 in the 10th inning on a walk off homer by Chris Iannetta off of Jenrry Mejia (box score).

Before I get completely negative, it's a good idea to point out that both Wright and Francoeur went deep last night, and for the most part were the only real offenses forces the Mets had.

I'm not going to focus on the bad outting from Niese (he was bad), or the fact that the only way the Mets tied the game was because of Colorado errors (they made 3), but a managing mistake in the ninth was a serious issue for me...

When Mike Jacobs doubled off the wall in the top of the ninth, then Manuel waiting until the count was 2-2, to run for Jacobs with TATIS!  Two problems with that: 1) Alex Cora was also on the bench, and is WAY faster than Tatis, also there was the obvious chance to pinch-hit later in the inning with the pitcher's spot coming around 2) THE COUNT WAS 2-2!


Why would Manuel decide to pinch run with the better hitter, and pinch-hit with the better runner.  Especially with the potential of the pitcher's spot coming around.  IT IS ABSOLUTELY MINDBLOWING.


And why wait until a 2-2 count, what if there was a hit in one of the first four pitches, would the run not have scored because Jerry "forgot" to pinch-run.  Regardless, it's obvious that Jerry has fallen asleep at the wheel and seriously has NO idea how to manage anymore.  I'm sorry.

Last night's loss was awful, but the decisions by Jerry were the reason.  Please, get rid of the guy before the season is beyond repair.

Niese vs. Cook at 8:40, Here's your line-up...

I'm going to be doing a lot of picture-in-picture tonight as my Devils are in the midst of a game 1 battle with the Flyers...

Either way, Tonight the Mets try to right the ship a bit against the Colorado Rockies and Aaron Cook.  Jon Niese takes the hill for the Mets, and here's your line-up, according to Metsblog:

Jose Reyes SS
The Usual 2B
David Wright 3B
Jason Bay LF
Mike Jacobs 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Rod Barajas C
Angel Pagan CF
Jon Niese P

Jacobs is back in the line-up, but probably should be slotted in behind Francoeur.  Hopefully tonight's game will be more watchable than last night's disaster...

It's Never Too Early to Save the Season, I'm Not Using the "R" Word

The Mets need to make the decision this week to save the season.  They can continue with things status quo, probably hit a hot streak at some point, and then hover around .500 for the remainder of the season.  The problem with all that is, the FANS deserve more than that. 

They need to either shit or get off the pot.  Either you go forward trying to win this season, staying afloat until Murphy and Beltran come back, and hope that your options to start over Maine/Perez, work out.  Or they can just go with the kids early and see what this team can be about for the future.  That's not called re*****ing when you have players like Wright, Reyes, etc...It's called trying to win with young players.  If the Mets were to bring up Ike/F-Mart/Gee, guys like that, they might actually have a better chance at winning this season than if they were to try to survive with Murphy/Tatis/Jacobs/Maine/Perez.  Maybe the organization should hear what fans are saying.  The fans want to win this year, but they're so excited about their young talent that this may be the only time you can infuse the team with these kids and still have a positive feeling amongst the fan base, without dropping the dreaded "R" word.

But first thing's first...

Jerry Manuel has got to go.  He's clearly NOT the manager for the future of this team, and he's NOT doing a very good job of being the manager now...so...WHAT'S THE POINT?  Why is he being kept around if the future of this team doesn't include him, and he's not going to win with this team now.  I don't get it.

Besides that, I think taking into consideration Sunday's comment where he admitted to not having the team prepared, and his comment yesterday about being "discouraged" by his team's Sunday performance (see Burkhardt on twitter).  No team can succeed when their manager doesn't have confidence in them.  And right now, it sounds like Jerry isn't positive at all...and why should he be?

As much as I want to say the problems with pitching and the holes in the order are the biggest issues for this team, part of me think it's Jerry.  It's got to be hard to play for a guy who's just trying to save his job.  Willie was bad...but this is worse...

So, it's time.  The Mets need to shed Jerry and make a move to try to win with some younger players in those holes.  It's probably the only time Mets fans will be on board with this plan, and to be honest, it's a nice way to skirt around using that nasty "R" word...

Maine, Mets Get Sunk Early Against the Rockies

Tonight the Mets, and Maine, got sunk in the 3rd inning by the Colorado Rockies, and eventually lost by the final score of 11-3 (box score). 

Maine didn't help himself at all tonight, when in the third, after knocking down a comebacker he stumbled back to the ball and weakly flipped it down the line.  Fernando Tatis tried to scoop the ball, but to no avail and the ball skipped down the line and opened the flood gates tonight.

This game reminded me of last year.  It was basically unwatchable.  The third inning was awful, and the rest of the game wasn't much better, as the Mets managed only 3 runs on 9 hits, 4 of which came from Wright and Reyes (2 each, one homer from Wright). 

This was an awful game, an awful outting from Maine, and honestly I don't think I could watch the rest of the season if there's more of this...

Oh, by the way, this week isn't getting any easier.  Tonight's game against Greg Smith was SUPPOSED to be the easier one....unreal.

Tonight I'll Be Listening to An All New "Ready To Unload" Sports Talk Show

Like I posted last week, there's a new Ready to Unload with Cal and Sanpete internet sports talk radio show tonight at 9:05.  You can listen to the show live, here. 

I'll be listening tonight, with the potential for a call-in chat regarding the state of the Mets.  I don't know if anyone cares enough to listen for what I have to say, but it'll probably involve the first base situation and that other guy who stands on the right side of the infield for the Mets.

So try to keep an ear to your computer while you watch the game, that's what I'll be doing...besides Lost isn't worth watching until after the game on DVR anyway...

Mets at Rockies at 8:40 pm EST: Line-Up Musings and Why I Decided Not To Call The Mets 2B by His Name (Hint: It's 'Cause He Stinks)

Tonight at 8:40 pm EST, the Mets will face the Rockies in the first of three at Coors Field.  John Maine (0-0, 7.20 ERA) will face off against Greg Smith (0-1, 9.00 ERA).  With yesterday's day off and the dissapointing start for the Mets so far, I have to say, I am eagerly awaiting the game tonight.  Should be fun...

Here's the starting line-up according to Brian Costa of the Neward Star-Ledger: 

Reyes, ss
Mets Second Baseman (Wears Number 1), 2b
David Wright, 3b
Jason Bay, lf
Jeff Francoeur, rf
Fernando Tatis, 1b
Rod Barajas, c
Angel Pagan, cf
John Maine, p

That looks like runs to me.  With Reyes back, I really like Pagan at 8th (or second) in the order.  It seems to give this line-up more symmetry, almost like a second lead-off hitter in an AL line-up.  I'd rather Pagan hit second, but someone told Jerry that the second baseman can hit in the two hole.  I think not...(side note, I decided today to never refer to the Mets second baseman by his name).

I only see two negatives with this line-up, one being Fernando Tatis.  Who I still firmly believe should not be starting for any major league team unless it's a Sunday afternoon, let alone the team I root for.  Will they just get Murphy healthy or bring up Ike already, I've had enough of this crappy platoon at first base...

The other issue I have with the line-up is the guy manning the number 2 spot in the order. Unfortunately there are about 12 million reasons why that won't change for some time...

Daily News Highlights Francoeur's Hot Start

In an article for the Daily News, here, Anthony McCarron details the hot start that Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur has had thus far this season. According to McCarron, after the first week of the season, "he has hit in all six games and leads the National League in slugging percentage (1.000), is fourth in hitting (.476), sixth in on-base percentage (.538) and second with six extra-base hits, including two homers."   Those are some nice numbers for a week into the season.  I still think it's funny how his OBP is just slightly above his average, but like I've said before I like a guy looking to hit, not walk.

In the article McCarron talks about Francoeur's struggles and how he hopes this year will change things.  McCarron quotes Francoeur as saying, "This is a good year to show everybody that I've kind of started figuring things out...I'm 26, I've been here (the majors) five years. There's really no more excuses where you can say you don't know stuff."

Interestingly enough, in the article Francoeur addresses his lack of patience and says that this year he's going to change up his game plan at the plate. ""The one knock for me has always been my on-base percentage...It's not so much that I want to get the walks, it's that I want to make pitchers think different things." 

Francoeur's season so far can best be described through a quote McCarron lays out in the article, "Now I'm relaxed and having fun." 

If only the rest of the Mets could have the same type of fun, because then the fans would be too...

By the way, I'm getting a Francoeur jersey.  Have I mentioned that before? 

Cutting Down on Time Outs = Moronic

In an effort to make major league games go quicker umpires decided the best thing to do was to make time outs a thing of the past.

This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.  Was this idea come up with by someone who has no idea how to play baseball.  I mean seriously, what's the point?  Beyond not saving much more than thirty seconds on any given pitch, this takes a tool away from hitters and COMPLETELY changes the approach hitters have to the game.

Most pitchers like to work at a specific tempo.  Some pitchers like to work fast, and the only line of defense against getting quick-pitched is to call a time out and make a pitcher slow his pace.  For some stupid reason this line of defense is seemingly being taken away from the hitters.  Hitters are now at a huge disadvantage in the "mind game", and that is a huge part of baseball.  Anyone who is for less time outs really doesn't get the purpose of them, or is a big league pitcher... 

Without time outs hitter are not put in a position to succeed because they CANNOT control the flow of the game at all.  Not to mention, that if a hitter happens to be confused on a sign from the third base coach (which does happen), they are pretty much screwed.

Judging from Joe West's comments about Yankee/Red Sox games, the league (and umps) are really anxious to cut down on 4 hour games.  Well, Joe, so are the fans.  Yankee/Sox games are basically unwatchable 4 hours disasters involving 19 trips to the mound and about 20 runs a game.  But cutting down on time outs is not the way to accomplish this...

Regardless of how awful and long those games are, you CANNOT change the way the game is played because there is a desired game length the league is shooting for.  At the end of the day, it's the game that's most important.

Want to make games shorter?  Lose the DH...very rarely do National League games take a quarter of a day to finish...Just give the hitters back their time outs.

Just Sayin'...

Big Roadtrip Early in the Season for Mets, Jerry

Starting Tuesday the Mets go on a 6 game road trip which will take them to see two divisional favorites in both the Rockies and Cardinals.  The magic number for the Mets, I feel is 3 on this roadtrip.  While for Manuel, I think it's 2.  By that I mean that the Mets need to split the road trip at the least for the fans to remain mildly confident in their ability to compete this year.  As for Manuel, if this team doesn't win 2 games or more, he could get one of the quickest hooks in major league history.

In Colorado the Mets will throw Maine, Niese and Pelfrey in that order.  They will face Greg Smith, Aaron Cook and Jorge De La Rosa respectively.  The Mets may have gotten a little lucky in that they're avoiding Ubaldo Jiminez, but Cook and De La Rosa are no slouches.

However...

The series in St. Louis will not be a fun one.  The Mets will be sending Ollie, Johan and Maine up against Garcia, Carpenter and Wainwright.  Yikes.  The only somewhat relieving part for the Mets is that Carpenter hasn't been great so far this season.  On the flip side of that though is that Jaime Garcia and Wainwright were both good in their first starts of the year.

This is a big early season test for the Mets.  And should they not pass this test, or be "unprepared", I wouldn't be surprised to see someone take more than the blame this time...

Willingham Has Johan's Number, Mets Fall to 2-4

Josh Willingham pounded Johan Santana today for 5 RBI's as the Mets lost today's game 5-2 (box score) and the series to the Nationals.

Johan didn't look good today and no one on the Mets hit with runners in scoring position.  It wasn't a good day, although there was a little late life from Jacobs, who hit a moon shot that his the facade of the second deck in right.  Oh yeah, and Jeff Francoeur got another two hits.  I dunno what HoJo said to him this spring, but it's looking like it worked...

By the way...Jeff Francouer jersey here I come...my man-crush has only grown.

Mets Split First Two Games of Series with the Nats

Last night Francoeur and Barajas hit two homers each, while Mike Pelfrey went 6 innings giving up 4 hits and  2 runs in the Mets 8-2 victory over the Nationals.  The game was fun to watch, and it was nice to see the thump this Mets line-up seems capable of...

As for today, the Mets fell 4-3 to the Nationals despite the return of Jose Reyes.  The Mets were down 4-3 in the ninth with Reyes in scoring position when Barajas hit what seemed almost certain to be a big hit, except that Willie Harris made an exceptional play.  I can't stand him.  He kills the Mets everywhere he plays...

Oliver Perez threw 5 and 2/3 innings while giving up 4 runs on 4 hits, while walking 4, and taking the loss.  At the plate Francoeur went 2-4 and is another multi-hit game away from me getting a Francoeur jersey, because it's hard not to like him. 

Sorry this post is kind of weak.  Been a tough day or so.

Tomorrow it's Santana against Livan Hernandez, making tomorrow a must-win for a few reasons....

Much Improved Line-Up For Tonight's Game

Mike Pelfrey will be squaring off against Garrett Mock tonight as the Mets kick off their series with the Nationals.  Here's the line-up for tonight's game for the Mets. 

Angel Pagan CF
Alex Cora 2B
David Wright 3B
Jason Bay LF
Mike Jacobs 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Rod Barajas C
Ruben Tejada SS
Mike Pelfrey P

It's hard to ignore a lack of Castillo (most-likely due to his "calf problems") and Jacobs moving down to 5.  I like the idea of moving Jacobs down, who, although I like him in the order should not have been hitting 4.  Just another example of overmanaging with the righty/lefty stuff on Manuel's part.  I think Tejada definitely deserves another shot at some playing time, and I'm excited to see him in there tonight.  I wonder how long this Castillo thing will take place considering the roster move that will need to happen to activate Reyes...interesting stuff.

Also, with this line-up I like Pagan in the lead-off spot much better than Cora.  Pagan getting on base will definitely allow Cora to move Pagan on the bases through bunts and situational hitting (grounders to the right side with Pagan on 2nd), which is what Cora does well.  That stuff creates runs, and that's the type of ball the Mets need to be playing.

Should Reyes return tomorrow and Castillo still be unavailable I wonder what type of roster move the Mets will make.  Hopefully it won't involve Tejada and that will make for a nice line-up, potentially with Pagan/Matthews hitting 6th, or Pagan hitting 2nd behind Reyes.  That excites me...

Mets Fall to Marlins 3-1, Lose Series: Line-Up Musings

Last Night, despite a decent outing from Jon Niese, and the Mets putting out a stellar line-up (sarcasm) the team fell to the Marlins 3-1 (box score).

Jon Niese had a good, not great, outing last night.  If Niese can pitch like this all season, I would be happy.  I liked that he only gave up 3 runs in 6 innings of work.  HOWEVER, I was slightly concerned about him giving up 8 hits.  OnceNiese left the game, Igarashi, Takahashi, Nieve (who I'll discuss in a minute) and Pedro Feliciano threw out a scoreless effort for the remainder of the game.  On the Nieve front, he's looking pretty good out of the pen so far...nice little surprise.

I'll try not going to repeat myself much, considering I posted about this last night, but sometimes I think Manuel has a tendency to over manage.  Yes, Jacobs doesn't hit lefties well, (as Sean was so nice to point out) and yes, Pagan is good enough to start over Matthews...but to me, if the team can score 6-7 runs two games in a row with the same line-up, Why change things?

Regardless of my thoughts on last night's line-up, certain guys had good nights at the plate, most notably Francoeur, Bay and Pagan.  Frenchy went 2-4 with an RBI double, which drove in Jason Bay who went 1-3.  Pagan went 2-4 on the night and, I think, once Reyes returns Pagan should be slotted into the 7th spot in the order more regularly, as early in the season he's been hitting.  I know this sounds contradictory to everything I've said before about Matthews in the line-up so allow me to explain....

To me when Reyes is out of the line-up the team is different.  I do not see them manufacturing runs with Cora/Pagan/Castillo at the top of the line-up.  It's for that reason I prefer Matthews and Jacobs in there, if only for their ability to drive the gaps and hit for power (also Tatis stinks).  Now, when Reyes returns, the face of the team changes.  Jose makes the team more dangerous in small ball situations, and really allows Castillo to help in the table setting, instead of being a second lead-off man behind Cora/Pagan.  The team is better, and more balanced with Jose...I can't wait until Saturday.

So, to me, it seems like the team is better served with Matthews until Reyes returns (one more game), and then the hot hand can be played from then on.  I just don't think that Tatis should be starting, unless it's a Sunday afternoon...

Reyes to Return to Mets Tomorrow, Active Saturday?, Ojeda Says Team Shouldn't Wait on Ike

According to Chris Carlin on the Mets Post Game report on SNY, Jose Reyes will be returning to New York and will be at CitiField tomorrow night to watch the Mets take on the Nationals.  He is expected to be active on Saturday.

This is great news for the Mets, it is almost impossible for him to get hurt between now and Saturday (when he'll return)...although the Mets have found a way before (Tom Glavine cab accident). 

Also of note on the post game report, Bobby Ojeda is saying that if Jacobs and Tatis aren't getting the job done, it should be Ike time.  I think the kid still needs a bit more seasoning, BUT, if he continues to mash like he did tonight in Buffalo (3-3, with 2 extra base hits) then I can't see the Mets waiting too long.  But, like I've been saying all spring, it is Ike's glove, not his bat, that concerns me.

Tonight's Line-Up...Ugh, This Looks More Like One From Last Year

Tonight the Mets are throwing out an inferior line-up to the one they have over the first two games.  This the starting 9 for the rubber match against the Marlins, according to Metsblog, here:

CF Angel Pagan
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
LF Jason Bay
RF Jeff Francoeur
1B Fernando Tatis
C Rod Barajas
SS Ruben Tejada
SP Jon Niese

Ok, this is not a good line-up.  Yes, the Mets lost yesterday, and yes this is a lefty, but it looks like Jerry disregarded a few details when creating this line-up. 

First, he seems to have forgotten how terrible Fernando Tatis is...ehhh....actually nevermind, he's always just ignored that fact.

The second thing he forgot is that his line-ups from the first two games scored a combined 13 runs.  WHY ARE WE SWITCHING THINGS UP THEN?  Because it's a lefty?  Come on.  This line-up scored a bunch of runs off of the two best pitchers in the Marlins rotation, why would you switch that?  Especially if that involves moving Barajas up in the order, and losing two powerful bats in Jacobs and Matthews and replacing one with Fernando Tatis...really?

I think this is a case of over-managing.  Yes, Matthews wasn't great last night, but had Ramirez not had an absurd shift on in the 9th Matthews ground out up the middle would have been a game winning hit.  Matthews has been an important part of the offense so far, and at least present another threat in the line-up to go deep.  While I do like Pagan (playing instead of Matthews), I see the line-up as "scarier" with Matthews at 6 instead of Pagan at 1, if for no other reason than Francoeur as a 7 hitter makes the line-up seem deeper.  Maybe if Pagan was at 6, and Castillo leading off with Tejada at 2 I would like this line-up better...except for Tatis being in it...

I don't want to see Tatis starting, ever.  It's bad enough Omar and him are boys and they felt the need to overpay for under-production, but he's terrible and isn't a natural first baseman.  I'd rather see Jacobs struggle against a lefty than Tatis starting on any day that ISN'T A SUNDAY.  But I hope Tatis crushes the ball tonight and makes me eat my words, though I doubt it...

On a more positive note, it will be fun to see Niese throw and try to establish his role in this Mets rotation, which after last night, is in dire need of some reliability...

Ready To Unload: An Internet Radio Show Worth a Listen

There's a new (to me) internet sports talk-radio show worth giving a listen to on Tuesday nights at 9:05, and it's called Ready to Unload.  Hosts Cal and Sanpete do a good job addressing the important issues in sports, and specifically in baseball, with a special focus on New York team.  It's just like listening to Mike Francesa, just leaner, and less likely to call Russell Branyan, Robert Bronyun...

On a serious note, Sanpete is a catcher by trade and knows his ball.  Together Cal and Sanpete really combine to provide some entertaining, intelligent analysis of this week in sports every Tuesday night live at 9:05 ET, here.  It's worth giving them a listen, and if you can't listen live on Tuesday, check out their archive and listen to some older episodes, and find out for yourself what these guys are all about.

Also, on a personal note Sanpete is a Mets fan.  So he gets pretty passionate about his team, definitely worth a listen...

You can also follow them on twitter @SanpeteRTU or @BCal21

Despite Comeback Mets Fall 7-6 in 10 Innings

Tonight the Mets showed heart, and life, and then lost anyway to the Marlins by the score of 7-6 (box score).  Maine was awful, the Marlins bullpen might have been worse but it didn't matter because at the end of the day Takahashi gave up one run in 1/3 innings of work, and took a loss in his first major league outing.

On the hill, Maine showed Mets fans nothing tonight going giving up 8 hits and 4 runs in 5 innings.  Mejia and Green gave up a run each in the 6th and 7th before Feliciano held the Marlins scoreless in the eighth, and K-Rod did the same in the ninth before Takahashi took the loss in the 10th.

At the plate, Cora led off the 1st for the Mets with a triple and then scored on a sac fly from Castillo to tie the game in the first.  The Mets then came back to tie the game in the eighth on an error, some walks, and a balk from Veras and Leo Nunez (which i didn't see).  The star at the plate for the Mets tonight was probably Bay went 2-3 for the Mets with a double, and two runs scored.

The bottomline here tonight was that the team was given a chance to win a game they probably shouldn't have been in.  You cannot expect to win a game giving up 17 hits.  That being said, they still tied it late with some help from the umps but weren't able to capitalize.  Although, last season this game would have ended hours ago with the team giving up, they didn't do that tonight...so maybe things will be different this season. 

The team looks to take the series tomorrow night at 7 against the Marlins with Jon Niese going up against Nate Robertson...

Second Verse, Same as the First

Jerry's throwing a repeat line-up out there again tonight against Ricky Nolasco, in an attempt to get a repeat result in tonight against the Marlins.  Here's the line-up from Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork:

Alex Cora, SS
Luis Castillo, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Mike Jacobs, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Gary Matthews Jr., CF
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Rod Barajas, C
John Maine, RHP

Like I've said before I'm fine with this line-up.  Somehow Jacob's power justifies him as a middle-of-the-order hitter, despite his low average.  And I think once Cora moves out of that top spot and is replaced with Reyes, that's a pretty good looking line-up...

Tonight Will Be Telling...

Tonight at 7 pm the Mets face the Marlins in their second game of 3 at CitiField, with John Maine taking the hill against Ricky Nolasco.  Tonight's game will be a big one, if for no other reason than we'll start to get an idea of what the rest of the rotation and bullpen are capable of...

If Maine can establish himself as consistent, not even good, just consistent, that will go a long way for the Mets.  If Maine shows that he's over his shoulder issues and can be consistent on the hill that will go a long way in answering questions about this team's ability to contend.  Even if Maine only throws 6 innings a start and can keep the Mets in the game, that would be a nice lift for this team.  The fans need to know what we're getting on a night-to-night basis from pitchers not named Santana or Rodriguez, which brings me to my next point...

Tonight the bullpen will have to do work.  Nolasco is not going to get ripped tonight, as he's been borderline unhittable this spring.  Once Maine is out, assuming the Mets have kept the game close, the bullpen will get it's first real test of the season.  Now the question becomes whether or not they can handle it.  On paper it's not a great 'pen, with a real mix of young/old with both starters and relievers by trade mixed in there.  Should be interesting...

At the least, tonight we should find out exactly what this team is capable of this season.  With Maine on the hill and facing a very talented pitcher in Nolasco, the Mets will be forced to pitch, field and hit well in order to win tonight.  And now the grind begins...